Cab mafias get worse

Recently, when I returned to visit Bangkok, I expected to see some improvement with the taxi mafia situation. From what was reported by the local media, I thought the military regime had cleaned up the cheaters.

Sadly, it has gotten worse, much, much worse.

On my recent stay at Sukhumvit Soi 11, I found it now impossible to hail a legitimate taxi.

The choice was taking a ride from a scammer or walk in the hot sun.

Let’s be honest, they are predators, posing as taxi drivers to get close to their prey. They would happily ruin your day as they lure you into their various, well organised scams.

From the doorstep at your luxury hotel to the end of the soi, you must face own dozens of these disrespectful lowlifes that line the entire soi. When you ignore their aggressive (with a fake smile) approach, they make crude comments as you pass them by.

Around my third day, I even dreaded walking out of the hotel door to be harassed by the thuggish, cheaters.

The taxi mafia “own” the turf in front of every hotel in the tourist district and have zero interest in giving you a legitimate ride. Hotel managers I spoke with claim these professional tourist scammers pay the police 3,000 baht per month to illegally lease the parking spots in front of the hotels. Every hotel in the tourist district have a full time gang of professional scammers ready to pounce.

My hotel was fabulous, the manager was terrific but he can do nothing about the taxi drivers out front. It would be dangerous for him. It’s dangerous for the guests too and it’s even dangerous for a legitimate taxi driver passing through to pick up a fare on the soi.

Just remember, the taxi drivers parked in front of your hotel don’t wake up in the morning to work as a taxi driver, they wake up to steal. LARRY LINDSEY